State Express 555, simply known as 555, is a brand of cigarette originally manufactured in the United Kingdom by the Ardath Tobacco Company. The overseas rights to the brand, excluding the United Kingdom, were acquired by British American Tobacco (B.A.T.) in 1925. It was sold widely throughout the world. Sir Albert Levy (1864 – 1937), born in England became a successful tobacco trader, cigarette manufacturer and exporter. On 31 July 1895 Sir Albert Levy registered the trademark ARDATH in the Republic of Ireland.. He visited the United States and while in New York State, he was a passenger on the Empire State Express train. . The word trademark was first registered in Ireland on 10 March 1896. In the United Kingdom, Ardath's brands endured, to the point where they were granted a Royal Warrant by King George VI in 1946 and again later by H.M Queen Elizabeth II. In 1961, British American Tobacco bought out Imperial Tobacco's share of Ardath, thus gaining full control of Ardath's trademarks2x Tins with hinged lids to contain State Express Ready Rubbed Virginia Tobacco . Outside: STATE EXPRESS / READY RUBBED / Absolutely Unique in its quality / VIRGINIA TOBACCO / ARDATH FINE CUT Inside lid : EVERY TIN OF GENUINE / STATE EXPRESS / READY RUBBED / ARDATH FINE CUT / has the name of ARDATH / printed on the paper liningtobacco, cigarettes, moorabbin, bentleigh, cheltenham, early settlers, ardath tobacco company ltd, levy sir albert, state express cigarettes, lucky strike, cigarettes, british american tobacco company ltd, imperial tobacco company ltd,

'State Express'. Ready robbed Virginia Tobacco. Ardath Fine Cut. Red Tin with crest - weight 1 oz cigarettes, smoking equipment, tobacco, tobacco tins

State Express 555, known as 555 and Bentoel 555, is a British luxurious cigarette originally manufactured in the United Kingdom by the Tobacco Company. The overseas rights to the brand, excluding the U.K., were acquired by British American Tobacco in 1925. 555 cigarettes were sold widely throughout the world. (Wikipedia)Flat yellow enamelled cigarette tin with gold writing."State Express Cigarettes / State Express / Purveyors of pure tobaccos / 210 Piccadilly London WE ... / Ardath Tobacco Company Limited / London, Leeds and Dublin"cigarette tins, containers

Yellow, square cigarette tin with hinged lid. "State Express" brand tobacco, smoking, wwii

Ardath Cork cigarette card featuring Bill Tilden. Materials: Cardboard, Inktennis

Cardboard cigarette box with silver paper lining inside.Ardath Specials Virginia Cork Tipped 20 cork tipped cigarettes.personal effects, smoking accessories

No.33 of 50, from the 'Cricket, Tennis & Golf Celebrities' series of swap cards issued by Ardath Cork Cigarettes. Image and biography of "Bunny" Austin. Materials: Paper, Inktennis

Rectangular red cigarette box with gold and black text and gold State Express Cigarettes logo. Top and bottom folding-flap opening.333 Cork tipped. Absolutely unique in their quality.ardath, tobacco, imperial tobacco, british american tobacco

Rectangular, red tobacco tin with hinged lid and gold lettering on lidOn lid in gold lettering: "State Express Ready Rubbed Virginia Tobacco" Also on the lid the company logo of a pair of crossed flags and 2 floral sprigs, surmounted by a bird with outstretched wings. Above the logo are the words: "Absolutely unique" and below the logo, on a wavy black background stripe, the words: "ARDATH FINE CUT". Inside the lid: "State Express Ready Rubbed" and "Ardath Fine Cut, with the logo in between. Underneath are printed the words: "has the name of ARDATH printed on the paper lining"tobacco containers, tobacco tins, smoking equipment

Red tobacco tin 'State Express ready rubbed Virginia tobacco Ardath Fine Cut.' 1 oz. Net weight when packed. Tin manufactured by W.D. and H.O. Wills Australlia Ltd. Sydney. This tin contains small paper clippings from 1940's and 1950's pertaining to Councillor G. A. Pethard. Articles from 'The Bendigo Advertiser.person, individual, mr. george pethard, lydia chancellor, collection, tin, metal, pethard family, mr. george pethard, male, individual, bendigo, smoking accessories, bendigo mayor, person, personal effects

Donated by Box Hill Historical SocietyGold coloured tin. A crown in red and gold on the top with a scroll with 'Semper Fidelis' printed on it. An oval shape below scroll outlined in gold with 'WINFRED' 'London' and 'Superior cigarettes'/ Inside on lid 'WINFRED' cigarettes printed within a scrolled outline. Below is printed ARDATH TOBACCO Co LONDON ENGLAND.containers, domestic

Postcard, one of a series from 'The Rose Series De Lux'Black and white postcard of the Club Hotel. Shown are seven hard top sedan cars and two soft top cars. Ardath cigarette advertisements in upper windows of right hand section of the complex. Building is weatherboard, hipped roof corrugated iron, three chimneys. Roof of viewing gallery at rear of main building. Picket fence and hedge in front of left section. Lakes Entrance Victoriahotels, architecture, transport

Black and white photograph of tramcar 869 in Glenferrie Road with Dash Canopy lighting. 1941 eleven SW6 class trams built by MMTB at Preston Workshops, numbers 866 to 876. Entered service 19 June 1941. Based at Malvern Depot c1948 to c1991. Advertisements in shop for Turf and Ardath. Sign on front of tram: "For comfort travel between 9:30 & 4:0" Tram has the destination of St Kilda Beach via Balaclava. Route number 69. Extensively damaged by fire in Church St at North Richmond terminus Tuesday, 14th November 2006. August 2014 transferred from Preston Workshops to Newport Workshops.trams, tramways, sw6 class, glenferrie rd, dash canopy lights, tram 869, route 69, kew

Set of 3 Agfa Colour slide, cardboard mount, by Keith Caldwell of 11 March 1960 of trams at St Kilda Junction. .1 - L 106 arriving at the junction from Wellington St. Tram has the destination of City, route 4. Signals for the trams can been seen on a pole on the left hand side of the photo. .2 - SW6 - as for .1 .3 - W3 668 ditto, from Fitzroy St, showing Moreland, route 15. Has an advert for 3AW. In the background in all photos are adverts for Speedie electrical appliances, Fosters Lager, Stonefell wines, Gilbeys Gin, Penfolds, Stockdale's Bread, Hamburger Max Snack bar, Ardath, Brooks Books.All hand stamped "11 Mar '60"; .1 "L" in ink and .3 "W3" in ink written on.trams, tramways, st kilda junction, signal box, l class, w3 class, tram 106, tram 926, tram 668, sw6 class, wellington st, mmtb, route 4, route 64, route 15

This particular brand of tobacco (State Express 555) was first made in 1915, and was most popular in Asia and China. The number triple 5 was mooted as a sacred number, and may have contributed to its high level of demand by Asian smokers. This would have been a favourite "smoke" for the Chinese emigrants, and especially those who settled in rural areas of Australia. In the era where 'male' type of activities such as motor racing, were sponsored by tobacco companies, roll your own cigarettes was ingrained as a macho male requirement. It was only in the early 2000s, when cigarette advertising had greater restrictions attached to the product, that the roll your own, and cigarettes in general, became less "cool". This particular cigarette tin would have also been useful for roll your own (ready rub tobacco)The significance of this particular Qantas cigarette tin to this rural region is that it demonstrates that overseas travel by plane was not only for the affluent city dweller but also available, and not impossible to the inhabitants of the Kiewa Valley. This cigarette tin also may hint that the influx of Asian immigrants into this region where able to visit relatives back in Asia without too much effort. The use of a Qantas cigarette tin in the Kiewa Valley also suggests a degree of affluent there or tourists from elsewhere. This tobacco tin relays a long ago era, when personal contact, and not something that has been written down by some "unknown", was valued as the true appraisal of a member of the community. This was especially relevant in a small regional area such as the Kiewa Valley. Although social networking was not as fast then as the internet provides now, appearances, manners, fashion and etiquette with first impressions high on the order of evaluating someone in the community. Pointer such as the brand of tobacco smoked was part of the rural assessment method. Up until the demise of the Australian Tobacco Industry, circa 2004, the Kiewa Valley and surrounding district was part of a vibrant producer of tobacco leaves. The remnants of this industry still remain today but the drying sheds (for tobacco leaves) are now used to store hay for the valley's dairy and beef cattle industries.This tobacco/cigarette tin is constructed from tin plated thin rolled steel. The lid is attached by two pressed and formed (from the main frame) hinges using the nip and tuck construction method.The outside lid and frame has a yellow colour anodised to the metal.On the front of the lid are the following printed: "STATE EXPRESS" ,in yellow print, and below this are two horizontal lines in brown and central to these are the numbers "555" . Below this appears and within a 'royal' crest, in yellow writing on a brown circular background "STATE EXPRESS". Below this, in brown print, "PICCADILLY, LONDON". On each side of the tin are printed in brown colour: front side" ARDATH TOBACCO CO. LTD. PICCADILLY, LONDON" . On the left and right sides are printed in brown colour "20 STATE EXPRESS 555". On the rear side is with smaller print "MANUFACTURED UNDER ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE POPRIETORS". On the inside of the lid printed in red colour, are the following words, the royal crest and sketch of the winged kangaroo(symbol of the QANTAS logo). Within a red elongated square border, are the Royal Crest and in very small red print "BY APPOINTMENT TO HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN" underneath in slightly larger print "STATE EXPRESS" The print underneath this and in smaller print is "CIGARETTE MANUFACTURERS ARDARTH TOBACCO CO. LTD." Next to the royal crest and in much larger print is "STATE EXPRESS" and underneath this ,the numerals 555 with the words "CIGARETTES" below. The lower half of the inside lid has the following words and the "flying" kangaroo(winged). These words in written (running free hand) style "Specially packed for QANTAS(in red print). Underneath and in smaller print is "AUSTRALIA'S OVERSEAS AIRLINE". On the bottom of this tobacco tin is stamped into the metal surface, the number"704"qantas supplied cigarettes, roll your own, cigarette tins, smoking accessories, personal effects, tobacco containers, tobacco